Bread has been an important part in our diet. Many countries in the world depend on bread as their staple food. The rest of them are also familiar to bread as snack or the complementary to their staple food. There are also various kinds of bread. One of them is dark pumpernickel bread.
It is bread originated from Germany, but now also popular in North America. Dark pumpernickel is heavy bread traditionally made with sourdough starter and coarsely grounded rye, instead of wheat as the main ingredient. Â The dark color comes from the cocoa powder and the certain baking process. With rye and cocoa as the main ingredients, it seems that we can get the health benefits of pumpernickel bread. What are the health benefits? Stay on this page to find the information.
Nutritional Information of Dark Pumpernickel Bread
The dark color of pumpernickel bread is mainly contributed by the nutritious grain as the main ingredient of it. And it is not a new issue that dark pumpernickel bread is able to present you the health benefits of dark pumpernickel bread which is credited to the following nutrients:
- Calories
- Fat
- Protein
- Carbohydrate
- Dietary fiber
- Vitamin E
- Folate
- Thiamine
- Riboflavin
- Iron
- Phosphorus
- Magnesium
- Calcium
- Selenium
The good news from the bread is that it is high in protein yet cholesterol free. Therefore, you can consume it with no worries about your blood cholesterol spike.
The Amazing Health Benefits of Dark Pumpernickel Bread
The nutritious ingredients of dark pumpernickel bread is able to present the heath benefits of dark pumpernickel
- Maintain healthy digestion
Dark pumpernickel bread contain good amount of fiber from the whole grain of rye. The fiber from dark pumpernickel bread is mainly the complex fiber. Complex fiber is known to be beneficial for digestion. It is able to maintain bowel movements and further prevent constipation. The B vitamins in this bread are also able to promote healthy digestion.
- Promote cardiovascular health
The fiber in dark pumpernickel bread is effective to lower the LDL or bad cholesterol in the blood. This way, we are able to maintain and even promote the cardiovascular heart. As we know, the bad cholesterol is the potent enemy for cardiovascular health. Â
- Control blood sugar
Not only good for cardiovascular health and digestive health, the complex fiber in dark pumpernickel bread is also good for those with diabetics. It is because the fiber is able to control blood sugar level. Although it sometimes tastes slightly sweet, it is recommended to prevent diabetes.
- Reduce the risk of cancerÂ
The high level of dietary fiber in dark pumpernickel bread can also perform as antioxidants which fight the formation of cancer. The fiber is able to form protective lining in the colon. This way, colon is protected from diseases including colon cancer.
Besides, a research from British Journal of Cancer concluded that the whole grained food intake, such as dark pumpernickel bread is able to reduce the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
- Good for bones
We can also obtain good amount of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus from dark pumpernickel bread. Those minerals are very good for bones’ health. The minerals improve the growth and strength of our bones. They can even prevent the diseases related to aging, such as osteoporosis.
- Prevent anemia
Every slice of pumpernickel bread contains B complex vitamin and iron. Both components are significant for the formation of red blood cell. This way, consuming dark pumpernickel bread may help you prevent anemia. Recently, a report mentioned that anemia cases in working women are improved.
So, if you are a working woman, make sure to include dark pumpernickel bread in your diet. It is very good to be combined with Turkey lunch meat and Edam cheese. You can also get the addition health benefits from the Health Benefits of Turkey Lunch Meat, the less fat meat and the Health Benefits of Edam Cheese.
- Improve immune system
Selenium is one of the beneficial minerals from dark pumpernickel bread. Selenium plays significant role in improving immune system. Â Every slice of dark pumpernickel bread may include 6.4 mcg of beneficial selenium. Add some fruit to your pumpernickel sandwich.
The fruits provide you with more beneficial vitamins, such as vitamin c from pineapple. You can combine the bread with pineapple and cottage cheese. Therefore, you can get the Health Benefits of Eating Cottage Cheese with Pineapple .
- Control weight
The high fiber foods are effective to control weight. It is possible as the fiber do a very good job in the digestive system, leaving us full for a longer time and prevents too frequent cravings. The same thing also happens when we eat dark pumpernickel bread. With whole grain flour as the main ingredient of this bread, pumpernickel bread is able to provide us the needed fiber to control weight.
So, if you are accustomed to the Health Benefits of Bread Butter and Jam for your breakfast, it is better for you to replace the bread with dark pumpernickel sometimes, and replace the spread with the healthier spread, such as avocado. You can also get the Health Benefits of Avocado for Breakfast.Â
The other health benefits of dark pumpernickel you can get by consuming a dark pumpernickel sandwich are:
- Good for pregnancy
- Improve brain power
- Recharge energy
- Promote healthy metabolism
The Recommendation For Easy And Healthy Dark Pumpernickel Bread
The homemade dark pumpernickel bread will always healthier and a lot affordable than the one you brought from store. You can also fix the taste to your taste bud. In order to do so, you just need to prepare the following ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dry yeast
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- 2 tablespoons caraway seed
- 2 3/4 cups rye flour
- 3 cups bread flour
How to CookÂ
- What you need to do first is mixing the warm water with the dry yeast, and stir until the yeast dissolved.
- After that, stir molasses, salt, shortening, caraway seed, and rye flour together.
- After that, ass the bread flour slowly, and stop when the dough can be well kneaded.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured board, knead for 5 minutes.
- Add more flour if it still feel sticky. When the dough is done, place it in a bowl and cover with a warm clean kitchen towel and heat it under the sunrise.
- Let it sit until it has doubled in size.
- To bake the bread, put it on a loaf and oven for 35 minutes with 375F until it sound hollow when you tap on it. Remove the loaf, and let it cool on a rack.